How much RAM do i need? 1

[jlokey]

i'm getting ready to build a new pc and i'm debating between 1 stick of 512MB RAM or 2 sticks. i plan on using this machine for gaming, some web design, video and audio editing, etc. i know for sure i'm going with ddr, but i've also been hearing a lot about XMS RAM from corsair. my biggest concern is the need for a whole gig of RAM. i don't want to spend that much money if it won't make much of a difference. can anybody give me any suggestions on what to do or not do? thanks.

jlokey

 

[xjlkx]

jlokey -

I do some pretty heavy duty gaming on a system with 256mb of XMS (also an XP2200, 64MB GF4 vid)...and I have no problems. I'd give the XMS a thumbs up...but I'm not totally convinced that it outperforms crucial or any other more reasonably priced memory enough to justify the extra bucks.

Its all a matter of preference though. Good luck.

 

[chaosinc]

for the gaming you most likely wont need a gig of ram, 512 megs will be more than enough for most games out today, but if you are going to be doing any heavy duty graphics or video/sound mixing/editing you might want to go ahead and get the gig.
knoweldge is power, spread the power

 

[ceh4702]

If you you can afford 1 Gig, get it and put it on the motherboard while it is resting on a piece of cardboard. Then put the CPU/cooler on and install the motherboard.

This makes it less likely you will bend or flex the motherboard from the stress. Adding it later is harder. If you do video editing suggest a large hard drive with at least an 8 Meg Cache. If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.

 

[mutt511]

the amount and number of sticks of ram depends not entirely on what you will be doing but what your board will handle. most boards say they will handle up to 1 gig ram, but that is not entirely true. i was running 2 sticks 256 sdram on a ecs board and gave me nothing but fits. switched to one stick 512 ddrram and it runs smooth as glass. so check out some threads on motherboard issues before diving in over your head. good luck. everyday you learn something new, the day you dont is the day you die....so make someone live longer teach them something.......MUTT

http://www.phreakgeek.ca

 

[jlokey]

thanks for all your help. about the motherboard, i'm going with a board that says it will hold 3GB of RAM so i'm not worried about that. i think i might just start out with the 512 and then upgrade it carefully if needed. just depends on how much i actually end up doing on it. thank you for the advice.

 

[cdogg]

Also, take the operating system into consideration. Make sure you're using Win2K or WinXP if you plan on having large amounts of memory. 95/98/ME have all sorts of problems with more than 512MB, and many consider 384MB the breaking point...


~cdogg

"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
- A. Einstein